muscleback blades – Syndication Server

Cobra releases King Tour Black, King CB/MB Black irons

Black has a way of transforming simple things into classics.

From leather jackets to little dresses, black has a way of transforming simple things into classics, and the list of great rock ‘n’ roll songs that include the word ‘black’ in the title reads like the back of a greatest hits album. There’s “Paint It Black,” by the Rolling Stones, “Back in Black,” by AC/DC, “Black Is Black,” by Los Bravos, Santana’s “Black Magic Woman,” and Pearl Jam’s “Black” … we could go on.

When it comes to golf equipment, black clubs hold a mystique. Black is the most popular color for drivers, fairway woods and hybrids, but most irons are chrome-plated or designed with a silver tone. Black irons are somewhat rare, but some golfers covet them and when brands release special black versions of previously-released clubs, they perk up and take notice.

Rickie Fowler is among them, having put the just-released Cobra King Tour Black irons in his bag this week at the 2024 Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi. Cobra has also just released the King CB and MB Black Combo irons for pros, college players and elite golfers.

Here’s your first look at the new dark-finished offerings from Cobra and everything you need to know about them.

Gear: Cobra King Tour Black irons
Price: $ $1,3 99 w i t h K BS$ -Taper 120 Black steel shafts and Lamkin Crossline Black grips
Specs: Forged 1025 carbon steel with TPU insert, co-molded aluminum medallion and diamondized black metal finish
Available: Oct. 18, but available for pre-order NOW

Who it’s for: Low-handicap players who want soft feel with extra control and spin.

What you should know: A better-player’s cavity-back, the King Tour irons have a vibration-dampening insert hidden in the back to soften the feel, along with the compact size and classic look that accomplished golfers demand.

The deep dive: These irons are identical to the standard King Tour irons that were released in 2023 and that Rickie Fowler used to win the Rocket Mortgage Classic last season, except they have been given a black DBM (Diamondized Black Metal) finish. Cobra claims it is especially durable and does a good job of diffusing sunlight to reduce glare.

The King Tour Black irons are made using 1025 carbon steel that is forged five times to increase the precision of the process, make the faces completely flat and enhance feel.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Cobra King Tour black irons” link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/LXeD03″]

The cavity-back shaping is created by computer-controlled milling. This allowed engineers to make subtle changes to the undercuts around the head, taking extra material out of the top of the long irons to lower the center of gravity.

Cobra designers added a thermoplastic polyurethane insert and an aluminum co-molded badge to the back of the King Tour heads to soak up excessive vibrations.

You can read the full review of the standard Cobra King Tour irons here.

Cobra King CB/MB Black irons. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Gear: Cobra King Tour CB/MB Black irons
Price: $ $1, 299 w i t h K BS$ -Taper 120 Black steel shafts and Lamkin Crossline Black grips
Specs: Forged 1025 carbon steel with diamondized black metal finish
Available: Oct. 18, but available for pre-order now

Who it’s for: Elite ballstrikers who demand the ultimate in feel and control.

What you should know: This combo set for the game’s best players combines forged cavity-back long irons with muscleback blade scoring clubs and comes with a black finish that Cobra feels is more durable.

The deep dive: In early 2023, Cobra released the King CB and King MB irons for professionals, college players, and elite golfers with powerful, repeatable swings. If you are looking for forgiveness, go check out Cobra’s Dark Speed irons because neither the King CB nor the MB is designed to give you that. However, if you want feel and control, the King CB and MB are at the zenith of what Cobra can provide.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Cobra King CB/MB irons” link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/eKdRn6″]

The Cobra King CB Black irons (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Now, Cobra is offering the King CB and King MB Black Edition irons for low single-digit handicap golfers and tournament-level players who want something that delivers the highest levels of feel, control, and that look, well … kinda badass.

These clubs have the same diamondized black metal (DBM) finish that was given to the King Tour Black irons.

They King CB and MB Black irons are typically sold as a combo set comprised of cavity-back 4-, 5- and 6-irons that are blended with muscleback blades in the 7-iron through pitching wedge. While the CB long irons have slightly more perimeter weighting, all seven clubs have a thin topline, practically no offset, and a narrow sole. The King CB and MB Black irons feature the shortest blade length of any Cobra iron.

Cobra King MB Black irons. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

If you have a repeatable swing and can generate all the distance you need, the Cobra King Tour CB/MB Combo set can allow you to hit controlled draws and fades, knockdown shots, and more. At the same time, golfers will immediately know where on the face they hit the ball, thanks to the softness of the metal.

In addition to the standard blended set, the CB and MB models are each available as full sets in a 3-iron through gap wedge. The CB is available in both left- and right-handed versions, but the MB is only available as a complete set for right-handed players.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Cobra King CB/MB black irons” link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/eKdRn6″]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Cobra King Tour black irons” link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/LXeD03″]

Bettinardi MB24, CB24 irons

Bettinardi CB24 and MB24 irons are for elite golfers who want more control and feel.

Gear: Bettinardi MB24, CB24 irons
Price: $1,600
Specs: Forged 1025 carbon steel with infused tungsten and ceramic matrix composite material.
Available: April 5

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Who It’s For: Low-handicap golfers who want a compact, classic-looking blade or a better player’s cavity back iron that emphasizes feel and control.

The Skinny: The first irons from Bettinardi are crafted with the same level of precision and attention to detail that has made the brand’s putters desirable for deep-pocketed golfers for decades. For golfers who shoot in the 60s or 70s, they deliver a high level of feel and control.

The Deep Dive: Bettinardi has been known for decades as being one of the finest putter makers in golf, specializing in milled blades and mallets that look like something that might be displayed under glass at Tiffany’s next to engagement rings and diamond bracelets. Starting a few seasons ago, the Tinley Park, Illinois-based company started offering milled wedges and multi-material putters, but now the brand is offering its first pair of irons—the CB24 and MB24—and they are precisely what you might expect from Bettinardi.

The CB24 and MB24 are both forged from 1025 carbon steel for a soft feel, but Bettinardi has co-forged the inner portions of each head with high-density tungsten and ceramic matrix composite material.

The addition of the tungsten and ceramic matrix composite material allowed Bettinardi designers to shift the center of gravity (CG) location in each club, lowering it in the long irons to make them easier to hit high and elevating it in the scoring clubs to make it easier to flight the ball down for better distance control.

Bettinardi CB24 irons — The perimeter weighting and extra mass low in the head add a touch of forgiveness. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

While both clubs have a compact blade length and just a touch of offset, the CB24 is a classic better-player’s cavity-back iron. Its perimeter weighting around the outside of the head should make it more stable and give it more forgiveness than the MB24, which is a true muscleback blade. Instead of perimeter weighting, the MB24 added mass directly behind the impact area to enhance ball speed and create a more solid feel at impact. The MB24 also has a slightly thinner topline, although you would have to look at the top clubs carefully, side-by-side, to notice.

In a nod to Bettinardi styling, both clubs feature the brand’s honeycomb in the back of the face.

Below are several close-up images of the new Bettinardi CB24 and MB24 irons

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Callaway Apex CB, Apex MB irons (2023)

Callaway’s Apex CB and MB maximize feel and control.

Gear: Callaway Apex CB, Apex MB irons (2023)
Price: $215 each with True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid steel shafts and Golf Pride Z grips.
Specs: Forged 1025 carbon steel. Available in 3-iron (20.5 degrees) through attack wedge (50 degrees)
Available: August 18 (pre-sale) / September 8 (in stores)

While most golfers desperately want irons that can help them hit the ball farther and higher, elite ballstrikers — players with a powerful, repeatable swing — are constantly looking for something else from their clubs. If you can generate all the power and distance you require, what you need is more control. You need irons that allow you to curve the ball and control its flight, which requires a heightened sense of feel at the moment of impact.

Using feedback from tour pros, Callaway has updated its Apex CB and Apex MB irons to deliver more control and feel, while also making them easy to combine to create a blended set.

The updated Apex Pro irons, which are also an option for low-handicap golfers, have been designed with a hollow chamber in the 3-5 irons that is filled with vibration-absorbing urethane microspheres, but the Apex MB and Apex CB irons are all solid-body designs forged from 1025 carbon steel. Nothing gets in the way of the sensations created at impact from reaching a player’s hands, which is exactly the way pros, college players and elite amateurs like it.

Callaway designed the Apex CB and Apex MB with a progressive center of gravity (CG) location. There is extra mass positioned low in the heads of the long irons, to help golfers create a higher-launching shot, but the CG shifts up in the head through the mid- and short-irons to encourage a lower, more-piercing ball flight for better distance control.

Both clubs also have a leading edge that has a more-rounded, pre-worn design. The trailing edge also has more chamfer, or upward curvature, to help the Apex CB and Apex MB get in and out of the turf more efficiently.

The Apex CB was inspired by Callaway’s Apex TBC (tour cavity-back), which is the iron of choice for Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele. Callaway made the blade length a few millimeters longer than the Apex TCB, but the brand thinks this will be its most-played iron on the PGA Tour next season while also being an option to a few more amateur golfers.

To offset the weight of the hosel and pull the ideal hitting area into the center of the face, Callaway designers removed some mass from the heel area and added tungsten to the toe section. You can see it because the tungsten is under the chrome plating. This should help to a neutral weight bias and allow players to hit draws or fades more easily.

While the Apex CB has a small amount of perimeter weighting thanks to its cavity-back design, the Apex MB is a pure muscleback blade. It has a very compact blade length, virtually no offset and a very thin topline. It has a progressive CG throughout the set and Callaway studied and modified the sole design and bounce to make it quick through the grass, so golfers can maintain speed through the strike.

Like the CB, it has a plate on the back of the head that can be switched by fitters to allow them to change the swing weight of the clubs based on their length or a player’s preference.

Cosmetically, the Apex CB and Apex MB look very similar, and they have identical lofts, with the 5-irons being 26 degrees and the pitching wedges being 46 degrees. Working with a custom fitter, golfers should be able to easily create a blended set, as many PGA Tour pros do. Callaway plans to offer the “The Elite” combo set, which will include the Apex CB 3-iron through 7-iron and the Apex MB in the 8-iron through attack wedge.

Below are close-up images of the Apex CB and Apex MB for 2023.